Staff Profile

Career Summary

Biography

Since leaving teaching after 22 years of service in primary and secondary schools in 1998, I have undertaken research in Canada, the United States and Singapore. I have contributed sociological perspectives to literacy and literacy education, curriculum theory and design, and professional learning and school reform. As a Early Career Researcher, I won a competitive grant from the Spencer Foundation in 2001 (US$30 000). Before joining the University of Newcastle, I was the prime investigator for two large intervention research projects in Singapore (S$ 850 000). My most recent research focuses on developing teacher capacity across subject areas through building the conditions necessary in schools for innovative teaching and improved student performance.

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (Curriculum and Instruction), Pennsylvania State University - USA, 31/12/1999

Research

Research keywords

Bourdieu

Curriculum Studies

Literacy Education

Multiliteracies

Professional Development

Qualitative Research

School Reform

Teacher Education

Research expertise

How Professor James Albright conceptualises his research in English education, and pedagogy and schooling in general owes a debt to French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu. His research continues to clarify, broaden and deepen his use of Bourdieusian theories and methodologies, especially field analysis. A Bourdieusian stance can enable a powerful sociological and cultural analysis, enabling researchers, teachers and students to engage with and transform available capital, social fields, and systems of exchange.

Professor Albright is interested in how principled and practicable relations can be drawn from Bourdieusian concepts and models to help us understand the peculiar economy of texts and textual practices circulating in disciplinary fieldshow texts are produced and how they are described, interpreted and explained. This interest has been at the heart of his most recent writing on multiliteracies and disciplinarity and has focused on his continuing research in literacy education, curriculum studies, professional development, school reform, and qualitative research.

Over the past few years Professor Albright has worked on innovations projects whose broad goals have been to improve our understanding of the impact of current pedagogical practices, institutional arrangements, and assessment regimes on student outcomes. His understanding of the relevant research suggests that this is best achieved through building teacher capacity through supporting schools as professional learning communities.

Languages

English

French

Fields of Research

Code

Description

Percentage

130204

English And Literacy Curriculum And Pedagogy (Excl. Lote, Esl And Tesol)

60

130313

Teacher Education And Professional Development Of Educators

30

080599

Distributed Computing Not Elsewhere Classified

10

Memberships

Editorial Board.

Member - Pedagogies

Member - Digital Culture & Education

Appointments

DirectorNewcastle Institute for Research in Education (Australia)

01/10/2009

Invitations

Guest EditorEnglish Teaching: Practice and Critique, New Zealand (
)

2009

Collaboration

How I conceptualizing my research in English education, and pedagogy and schooling in general owes a debt to French sociologist, Pierre Bourdieu. My research continues to clarify, broaden and deepen my use of Bourdieusian theories and methodologies, especially field analysis. A Bourdieusian stance can enable a powerful sociological and cultural analysis, enabling researchers, teachers and students to engage with and transform available capital, social fields, and systems of exchange. I am interested in how principled and practicable relations can be drawn from Bourdieusian concepts and models to help us understanding the peculiar economy of texts and textual practices circulating in disciplinary fieldshow texts are produced and how they are described, interpreted and explained. This interest has been at the heart of my most recent writing on multiliteracies and disciplinarity and has focused on my continuing research in literacy education, curriculum studies, professional development, school reform, and qualitative research. Over the past few years I have worked on innovations projects whose broad goals have been to improve our understanding of the impact of current pedagogical practices, institutional arrangements, and assessment regimes on student outcomes. My understanding of the relevant research suggests that this is best achieved through building teacher capacity through supporting schools as professional learning communities.

Bringing together Bourdieusian theorizing and Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis, this paper provides a new sociological grounding for a pedagogical framework for doing discourse analysis.

2007

Albright J, Walsh CS, Purohit K, 'Towards a theory of practice: Critical Transdisciplinary Multiliteracies', Research on Sociocultural Influences on Motivation and Learning, 7, Standards in Education, Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America 93-115 (2007) [B1]

This paper provides a detailed framework and description of a new approach to transdisciplinary teaching that applies insights from research in critical and visual semiotics, mutltiliteracies and New Literacy Studies.

Albright J, Walsh CS, Purohit K, 'Towards a theory of practice: Critical Transdisciplinary Multiliteracies', Research on Sociocultural Influences on Motivation and Learning, 7, Standards in Education, Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America 93-115 (2007) [B1]

This paper provides a detailed framework and description of a new approach to transdisciplinary teaching that applies insights from research in critical and visual semiotics, mutltiliteracies and New Literacy Studies.

Albright JJ, Fagan SJ, Ross AM, 'Establishing research into enabling program outcomes at the University of Newcastle', Proceedings of the 1st International Australasian Conference on Enabling Access to Higher Education, Adelaide, SA (2011) [E2]

Research Supervision

For supervisions undertaken at an institution other that the University of Newcastle, the institution name is listed below the program name.

Current Supervision

Commenced

ProposedCompletion

Program

Supervisor Type

Research Title

2015

2019

PhD (Education)

Principal Supervisor

Topical Structure Analysis of Academic English Written by Vietnamese Learners of English: A Multi-disciplinary Perspective

2014

2018

PhD (Education)

Co-Supervisor

A Comparative Study Between Singapore and Australia's Education Culture and How They Shape Society

2014

2018

PhD (Education)

Principal Supervisor

Extensive Reading in Bangladeshi English Lessons: An Exploration into the Australian EFL Classroom

2014

2018

PhD (Education)

Principal Supervisor

The Influence of Socio-Economic Status on Student Educational and Career Aspirations in the Middle School Years

2014

2018

PhD (Education)

Principal Supervisor

The Representation of Life Outside Vietnam in 1st Year Technical University Textbooks and its Influence on Learners' Cultural Competence in English Learning

2013

2017

M Philosophy (Education)

Co-Supervisor

On This 'Full Sea', Created by Significant National and State School Education Reforms, What is the Impact of the Implementation of the NSW Syllabus for the Australian Curriculum English Stage 4 & 5 on the Quality of Teaching, Teacher Identity and Perceptions as Agents of Change, and Student Perceptions of Themselves a